This series of 8 talks and 4 performances is meant
to highlight the syncretic nature of India’s
religious and musical traditions. They will show
that there are no absolutist distinctions in the
mélange of ideas, concepts and teachings that form
our religions, music and art. That India has the
unique distinction in its tolerance and diversity
where there is no ‘other’ , where the concepts of
nirvana, ahimsa, martyrdom, asceticism, moksha,
charity and shariat exist side by side, where
gurbani, choir, sufi and bhajan music are all part
of a common heritage.

This series is organized jointly by The Attic and
The India International Centre.

friday 1st augustDialogues of Faith Series at The India International Centre
(Main Auditorium)6.30 pm
"Secularism, Atheism and Agnosticism” a talk by Mani
Shankar Aiyar

Secularism
is not against religion. Indeed, it is not even
limited to merely tolerating religion. Secularism is
essentially about the celebration of the diversity
of belief, including the right to not believe. It is
about respecting the right of others to hold beliefs
that are not your own.

It is difficult for an atheist to be secular. This
is because many, perhaps most atheists, are so
incensed with the excesses of organised religion,
and the dogmatism of most scripture, that they rail
against all religion, thus matching the fanaticism
of religious belief with
fanaticism of their own repulsion to religion‘Atheists
I can put up with? It’s those
wishy-washy agnostics I can’t stand!’
The agnostic runs the risk of being so sceptical
about all things that scepticism marks also his
attitude to the spiritual convictions of the true
believer.

Thus the most admirable secularist is he of profound faith
in his own religion who sees Truth and Beauty in
faiths that he does not subscribe to; who shares the
enquiring mind of the agnostic without falling into
the cynicism which is the trademark of the agnostic;
and who understands the questioning mind of the
agnostic without sharing the agnostic’s despair over
ever finding the Truth.

It is, however, entirely possible to be an agnostic and yet
be secular, for to doubt human fallibility in
matters spiritual need not be to deny that there are
perceptions beyond the material. And that if
religious belief is essentially about seeking
answers to questions which are beyond human reason
or human experience that need not invalidate either
the need of others for the spiritual quest nor the
comfort such spiritual quest demonstrably imparts to
the mind and soul of those in need of comfort from
Beyond.

The same goes for the atheist. I am an atheist. I think
there is an inherent contradiction between asserting
that God is the sum-total of all that cannot be
grasped by the human intellect and then elaborating
in great detail what the premise says is, by
definition, unknown to the human mind or human
experience. But seeing the contradiction is not
enough to explain the great and enduring influence
that spiritual belief has had on building that human
intellect and experience. So, while I might be
spiritually impotent, I can only respect those whose
belief transcends disbelief and for whom the Truth
that lies beyond is as palpable as the truth that
lies within the human grasp.

Mani Shankar Aiyar is the author of “Confessions of a
Secular Fundamentalist” still available in
paper-back. Hindi and Tamil editions are due later
this year. He is also the founder-President of the
Society for Secularism, on whose behalf he undertook
in 1992 a 44-day Ram-Rahim Yatra from Rameswaram to
Ayodhya between Gandhiji’s birthday (2 October) and
Panditji’s (14 November) to warn against the
impending doom to the Babri Masjid if Government
were to fail to take action against the gathering
kar sevaks. The warning fell on deaf ears as the
Union Government of the day demonstrated “that death
was not a necessary pre-condition for rigor mortis
to set in”, as he bitterly remarked at the time.

He has been a Member of the 10th, 13th
and 14th Lok Sabhas, representing the
Tamil Nadu constituency of Mayiladuturai, and is at
present Minister for Panchayati Raj and Minister for
the Development of the North-East Region. He was
educated at Welham, Doon, St. Stephen’s and
Cambridge, and served 26 years in the Indian Foreign
Service (the last five as Joint Secretary to Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi) before plunging into politics
in 1989.

tuesday 5th
august6.30 pm 'Urdu
Hai Jiska Naam ' (The Story of Urdu) a documentary
film introduced by Sohail Hashmi

The
story of Urdu begins many centuries before the
arrival of the language itself. It starts with the
break away from Sanskrit with Gautam Buddh and
Mahavir Jain using Pali and the Prakrits -the
languages of the people leading to the birth of
Gujrati, Sindhi, Punjabi, Braj, Avadhi, Maghdi,
Maithli, Bangla and Khari Boli in the 11th
century

The arrival of the Sufis, Central Asian Armies and
large number of traders in the next 100 years
brought in new technologies, new crafts, new
languages and scripts and all these began to combine
with their South Asian Counterparts to create new
vocabularies of Music, Attire, Architecture and
Creative Expression. All this took place at the
Shrines of the Sufis, in Army Camps, in the Bazars
and the Sarais

The shifting of the Capital from Delhi to Devgiri
led to the spread of Hindavi or Dehlvi or Zaban-E-Delhi
to the Deccan where it gradually developed into
Dakini under the patronage of the Qutub Shahi and
Adil Shahi Rulers and reached back to Delhi as
Rekhta around 1705. From the beginning of the 18th
Century, Rekhta grew into Urdu, that became the
language of the Royal Fermaans of Bahadur Shah, the
Ishtihaars of the rebels of 1857. Through the great
Urdu poets (Meer and Sauda and later through Ghalib
Zauq, Anees, Dabeer , Nazeer and Insha) it came to
be established as the literary language of the
North.

In the next 100 years Urdu led the progressive movement in India through Jafari,
Majrooh, Kaifi, Firaq, Faiz, Josh, Bedi, Krishan
Chandar, Ram Lal and others. It was again the same
language born of the coming together of diverse
cultures that rose up in protest against the
senselessness of war and of the division of India.

Sohail Hashmi is a former Director of Leap Years - a Creative
Activity Centre for Children, a founding trustee of
SAHMAT and a producer of documentary films. He has
also been involved in scripting and producing a 9
part series on Pioneers of Women's Education in
India and a 5 part series Shehernama on the history
of Shahjahanabad. He has recently scripted 6 half
hour documentaries on the real life stories of 6
rural women and their struggles to become literate
and self reliant. Sohail writes a regular column on
the lesser known monuments of Delhi and its history
in 'Landscape' and blogs irregularly, on issues of
culture and communalism. He organizes heritage walks
and loves to cook and talk about food.

Researched and Scripted by Sohail Hashmi
Directed by Subhash Kapoor
Ghazals
composed by Shubha Mudgal & Dr. Aneesh Pradhan and
sung by Shubha Mudgal
Produced by Meka Films and Kaamna Prasad
For Public Diplomacy Division Ministry of External
Affairs Govt. of India

The folk music of any culture constitutes the
foundation of its classical music – this is
especially so in India, with its classical music
often appropriating melodies and rhythms from a vast
variety of folk music traditions. The simple songs
and rhythms of the rural and village people
represent the soul or essence of the country or
region – telling stories of love and longing, of
bountiful harvests, of swinging in the Jhoola,
of sowing and reaping, of pleasure at the sight of
the dark clouds or regaling the legends of real and
mythical heroes, gods and goddesses. It is the
simple evocative beauty of these songs, sung through
the semi-classical idioms of the Thumri,
Dadra, Kajri, Chaiti and Jhoola,
that both soothes and excites the soul at the same
time.

On the other hand, the vibrant and sophisticated
verses of the Urdu Ghazal, the quintessential
love song, amply bring out the moods of love in all
their multihued splendor – of the anguish, woes and
disappointments, its rare moments of joy and bliss,
and its myriad moods of dalliance, serenading,
coquetry, mock-anger and the teasing give-and-take.
The poetry of the greatest Urdu poets Ghalib, Meer,
Dagh, Momin and many others is suffused with these
emotions.

Dr. Pooja Goswami’s concert will present a
delectable bouquet of these songs, selecting from
the semi-classical traditions of the Thumri
and Dadra, to the romantic Ghazal and
to the folk-inspired forms Kajri,Chaiti
and Jhoola.

Pooja was born in a musical family and received her
early training in Hindustani vocal classical music
from her father Sri. Surendra Goswami.

She received her M.Phil and Ph.D from the University
of Delhi and continued her training in
semi-classical music from the eminent vocalist Smt.
Shanti Hiranand, the reigning queen of Thumri and
Ghazal( a disciple of the late Begum Akhtar). Her
versatility is evident in her ability to sing Thumri,
Dadra, Ghazal, Bhajan and various folk genres,
Chaiti, Kajri besides the classical Khayals.

Dr. Goswami has performed in Jaipur, Delhi and
Hanoi. She recently co-composed the score for Pangea
World Theater’s “The Partition Project” staged in
Minneapolis. She has performed widely within the
USA. She is presently a visiting faculty at the
School of Music, University of Minnesota,
Minneapolis, USA, teaching courses in Indian music
and culture.

thursday 14th august
7.00 pm ‘X
Marks the Spot’ Excerpts from the writing of
Jeanette Winterson by First City Theatre
Foundation

When
Jeanette Winterson was asked (so the story goes) by
a British newspaper questionnaire distributed among
the nation's writers, whom she considered to be the
greatest living prose stylist in English, her answer
was unequivocal: Jeanette Winterson. Perhaps this is
arguable, but one cannot deny the British writer –
as author of books such as Oranges Are Not The
Only Fruit and The Passion – her
satin-upholstered seat amidst the finest of
contemporary authors for whom writing is a craft.
Her prose is sharp, elegant and disarming, as it
spins stories out of love, desire and the boundaries
of human interaction. The First City Theatre
Foundation presents a dramatic reading of excerpts
from her work, including The Power Book,
Lighthousekeeping and The Stone Gods.

Indian
Classical Music is essentially the art of Raga, in
both the Carnatic and Hindustani styles. It is not
possible to respond to raga music passively, without
some participation. The intellect and emotions have
to be acutely alert for raga music. It needs
conscious, expert listening with a carefully
nurtured effort of attention because it does not
merely please and entertain its listener, it
informs, enriches, nourishes and uplifts him to
higher planes.
A little initiation is required to enjoy Hindustani
classical music. The art of listening has to be
cultivated. Understanding its luminous meaning
adds to the delight and enchantment of listening to
Hindustani music.

Manjari Sinha has a Master’s Degree in Sanskrit from
Allahabad University and a ‘Sangeet Prabhakar’ in
Vocal, Tabla, Sitar and Kathak Dance from Prayag
Sangeet Smiti, Allahabad. She also received further
training in Sitar from Shri Arvind Parikh. She is
the author of ‘Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan’, published
by Roli Books and has written the chapter on
‘Kathak’ for the book ‘Indian Dances - The Ultimate
Metaphor’. She has given Lecture – Demonstrations on
Indian Classical Music and Dance in various
institutions in India and abroad as well as
presenting a series of illustrated talks on Begum
Akhtar on Vividh Bharati’s ‘Sangeet Sarita'.

She has written prolifically on Music (Hindustani &
Carnatic), Dance, Art & Culture in various music
journals and periodicals in both English and Hindi.
She has contributed columns on Music & Dance in Nav
Bharat Times, Hindustan, Jansatta, Varta and Deccan
Cronicles. She also contributes to Narthakionline
and Worldmusic central.org on internet. Currently
she is writing for The Hindu.

This lecture is an attempt to inculcate this understanding by an
introduction to Hindustani music, its brief history,
the concept of its building blocks like Raga and Tala, the time theory, the different forms -
Dhrupad, Khayaal and Thumri, the instruments used
for accompaniment or solo performances and above all
to develop an ability to make its undercurrent of
feelings more accessible.

The best way to understand the timeless inheritance of Hindustani music
is to experience it and not look for the facts about
it. Extracts will be played to illustrate the points
for it is the feeling of the music that makes the
knowledge of this intangible art fall into place.

Manjari Sinha has a Master’s Degree in Sanskrit from
Allahabad University and a ‘Sangeet Prabhakar’ in
Vocal, Tabla, Sitar and Kathak Dance from Prayag
Sangeet Smiti, Allahabad. She also received further
training in Sitar from Shri Arvind Parikh. She is
the author of ‘Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan’, published
by Roli Books and has written the chapter on
‘Kathak’ for the book ‘Indian Dances - The Ultimate
Metaphor’. She has given Lecture – Demonstrations on
Indian Classical Music and Dance in various
institutions in India and abroad as well as
presenting a series of illustrated talks on Begum
Akhtar on Vividh Bharati’s ‘Sangeet Sarita'.

She has written prolifically on Music (Hindustani &
Carnatic), Dance, Art & Culture in various music
journals and periodicals in both English and Hindi.
She has contributed columns on Music & Dance in Nav
Bharat Times, Hindustan, Jansatta, Varta and Deccan
Cronicles. She also contributes to Narthakionline
and Worldmusic central.org on internet. Currently
she is writing for The Hindu.

saturday 23rd august6.30 pm‘Whisperer of the Wind’ a flute
recital by Ajay Prasanna

The
bansuri is not just a musical instrument, it has a
great cultural and religious significance among
Hindus and the land where Lord Krishna was born and
spent his youth, are still alive with the Krishna-
legend and still redolent with the music of his
flute. Numerous common names reflect these epitaphs
of Krishna - Venugopal, Bansilal, Murali and
Muralidhar for example. ‘The Lila’ is the mosaic of
music and dance of Krishna with the ‘gopis’ as a
group and with Radha in particular. In Indian
mythology, painting, dance and music the flute is so
intimately associated with Krishna and the ‘gopis’
that no flautist can bypass trying to recreate the
haunting melodies with which Lord Krishna seduced
the young girls of Brindavan. Much inner meaning has
been given about the symbolism of this metaphor
imitating the relationship between God and devotee,
where the melody flowing from Krishna's flute is the
call of the Divine, inviting all creatures to rejoin
God in eternal bliss. It is also remarkable how the
life force (pran, or literally "breath") is
converted into a musical resonance (sur) using
nothing but a transverse length of bamboo with 6
holes cut into it.

Ajay Prasanna comes from a family of classical musicians. He received
his training in flute from his father Pandit
Bholanath Prasanna (of the Benaras gharana), the
guru of Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia. He gave his first
performance at the age of 6 in Allahabad and has
gone on to perform across the globe in Dubai,
Singapore, Bangkok, Kenya, Russia and other
countries. Apart from his solo concerts he has
played with renowned classical musicians Ravi
Shankar, Amjad Ali Khan, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Zakir
Hussain and Shubha Mudgal. He has also worked on a
project with Sting and experimental fusion projects
with Anoushka Shankar and others.

He has recorded CD’s with Music Today, Sa Re Ka Ma, T Series, Navras
records (London) and a German label.

tuesday 26th august6.30 pm ‘Rudra: The Idea Of Shiva’ an introduction to her
book by Nilima Chitgopekar

Beyond
sin and virtue, beyond joy and sorrow, beyond
scripture, ritual and pilgrimage, and beyond
familiar experience. This is Shiva, in essence.

Once feared as the capricious and terrifying Rudra,
Shiva, the most un-Brahmanic' of gods, has
traditionally been shunned by orthodox Vedic
religion. Although the Shiva we recognize today
retains much of his original contrarian nature, he
is firmly ensconced in popular imagination as the
awe-inspiring Mahadeva, supreme lord of the
universe.

In a unique attempt to explore the varied planes of
thought and belief that Shiva has represented over
millennia, Nilima Chitgopekar imaginatively
recreates the defining moments of the great god's
life through the eyes of his most intimate
mythological companions. Vishnu, Sati, Daksha,
Parvati and Ganesha take turns to praise, criticize,
explain, complain, sermonize and rationalize--and
through the prism of what they choose to reveal of
the Shiva they know, there emerges the vision of a
god who assimilates in his person the most extreme
contradictions. For Shiva is as reclusive as he is
accessible, as loved as he is feared, and as
fallible as he is divine.

This evening Nilima traces the diverse threads of
history, philosophy, anthropology and faith that
have coalesced to create this intriguing deity, she
uncovers the deeper truth about Shiva's unmatched
appeal--a credo of simple devotion to a unified
godhead, one that reflects the eclecticism and
humanity that form the very core of Hindu thought.
Questions are encouraged.

Nilima Chitgopekar has been teaching history for 25 years at the Jesus
& Mary College and to the MA students of Delhi
University. She is the author of 'Encountering
Sivaism: The Deity, the Milieu, the Entourage’ and
'The Book of Durga' and edited 'Invoking Goddesses:
Gender Politics in Indian Religion.

Even as a fictional protagonist, in a series of
books by the British author Sue Townsend, Adrian
Mole joins the likes of Prince Charles, Tony Blair,
Hugh Grant and David Beckham on the ‘Who’s Who’ of
British men in the last two decades. From the
adolescent pangs of his first ‘secret diary’ (aged
13 ¾), to his ‘pathetic slide towards gum disease,
wheelchair ramps and death’ (aged 33 ¾) in Adrian
Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction, he has
kept us amused and keenly in tune with British life
over the years. The First City Theatre Foundation
presents a reading of excerpts from these compelling
and wildly entertaining diaries.

One
of the more recent of the gharana styles that
evolved in the early 20th century is the Indore
gharana. Its lineage began with the legendary Ustad
Amir Khan Saheb, whose father, Ustad Shahmir Khan
and grandfather, Ustad Change Khan, served at the
courts of the Holkars of Indore. The distinct style
of this gharana is marked by a deeply meditative
attitude to the khayal, a weave of the swaras based
on the ancient system of permutation and combination
known as merukhand and meaningful pauses during
singing. Its powerful vilambit laya strongly
influenced the other gharanas. Its Sufi concerns
were further enriched by a repertoire of poignant
khayal lyrics created for the style--and for
Hindustani music- by his well-known disciple, Pandit
Amarnath ji.

Bindu Chawla, daughter and disciple of Pandit
Amarnath, discusses some of these highlights of the
gharana along with a demonstration. She tells us
memorable stories about the emotional guru-shishya
relationship in the gharana, as she saw it lived
off-stage, and also discusses the controversies and
questions related to her gharana's vital history.

She has intensely researched the principles of the
music handed down to her by her guru to evolve her
own style. She is also well-known for singing the
wide range of rare Sufi khayal bandishes created and
composed by Pandit Amarnathji. She has written
widely on the subject through books and a large
collection of articles and is a recipient of the
Times of India Fellowship Award (1995) for her
research project 'The Musical Idea in Hindustani
Music'.

Bindu now teaches music and is the Chairperson of
the Pandit Amarnath Memorial Foundation, which is
dedicated to the compilations of his archives and
music.